Missourians Could See Tax Surprise on State Returns

State officials say errors in tax withholding tables might cost thousands of Missouri taxpayers money on their state income tax returns.

The mistakes could mean people who usually receive a modest refund might instead owe the state money. And those who receive a refund could see it reduced by up to 90 percent.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports a Missouri Department of Revenue analysis of 2,000 returns from single filers shows the average refund of $73.70 was replaced by an average payment of $64.99. For head-of-household filers the average refund was reduced from $156.07 to $17.61.

Estimates for how the change could affect married taxpayers haven’t yet been released.

The department said the changes were caused by an inaccurate calculation of the federal tax deduction that had previously gone undetected.